


Wanted You to Be Happy

by davekind



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Breakup, F/M, M/M, Merstuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:08:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22732294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/davekind/pseuds/davekind
Summary: This is a few years old. Merstuck one-shot based on some Ikimaru stuff. Never really finished it. My friend wanted me to post.
Relationships: Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas, Jade Harley/Dave Strider, Terezi Pyrope/Karkat Vantas
Kudos: 5





	Wanted You to Be Happy

The secret cove that they had found to meet up at was quiet except for the sounds of Terezi's splashing. Karkat sat well out of the way, trying to keep his clothes dry this time. He hated it when Terezi splashed him. He was pretty sure she knew it, too, because she always made a point of splashing around when he knew very well what a graceful swimmer she was otherwise. She seemed to find his aversion to the water amusing for whatever reason. What little evidence he had seemed to suggest that it was just a mermaid thing.

After a few minutes, Terezi came back up. Karkat flinched away as she splashed up out of the water. "I found one!" she shouted, flashing him one of her gleeful grins as she held up a seashell. "Come over here for a second."

Karkat eyed the water nervously. "Don't get me wet," he said.

Terezi rolled her eyes. "Of course I won't, you big dummy. I just want to show you something."

"Alright, alright." Karkat scooted slowly over toward the water.

She held out the shell in her hands. "Sometimes the ocean speaks to us through seashells," she said. "Here, listen." Karkat leaned his head down, and she held the shell up to his ear. "Hear that?" All he heard was the roaring of the ocean. Terezi stretched up and pressed her own ear against the other side of the shell. She listened for a second with him, and then grinned again. "The ocean says you're a dork."

"Oh, haha." Karkat pushed her and the shell away from him as Terezi laughed. He ran one finger through the sand, watching as little grains fell in to fill the gap. "Hey, Terezi."

She looked up at him. "What is it?"

"Have you ever thought about transforming into a human?" he asked.

Terezi let the seashell fall back into the water. "What?"

"You know, like Dave's been doing," Karkat said.

"I know that, dummy," Terezi said. "But why would I want to turn into one of you land-walkers? The sea is my home."

"Just for a little while," Karkat said quickly. "Just to see what it's like."

Terezi looked thoughtful, and for a moment he thought that she was actually considering it. Then she grinned. "No way. I don't want to make it too easy on you. Why don't you just come in the water with me?"

"You know I can't swim," Karkat said.

"It's shallow here," Terezi said. "And the temperature is great. Look, I'll show you." Before Karkat could react, she splashed him with her hands.

Karkat backed away and stood up as the water hit him. "Agh! Terezi!"

Terezi laughed. "Then stop being such a dork and cheer up already!" she said. "I can tell you're moping over there. This is supposed to be fun, remember?"

Karkat shook off his shirt. "Right," he said. "Sorry."

But he couldn't stop thinking about what Terezi had said.

\---------------

Karkat stretched one hand up to the ceiling from his bed. "She won't go for it."

He rolled over onto his side to gauge Dave's reaction. Dave frowned, his hand on his face, shifting his legs in the chair. "Really? Did you tell her I could show her how it works?"

Karkat sighed. "No," he said. "When I mentioned it, she just said, 'Why would I want to turn into one of you 'land-walkers?'' Is that what mermaids usually call humans?"

"Nah," Dave said. "Why are you so scared of the water, anyway?"

"I'm not /scared/ of the water," Karkat said, raising his voice. "Why does everyone always think that? I just don't like getting wet."

"Chill," Dave said. "I'm just curious."

"You're a mermaid, Dave," Karkat said. "It's probably hard for you to understand."

"That's probably true," Dave said. "But I don't know anyone else who's actually scared of the water. Tavros sucks at swimming for some reason, but that's it." He paused. "Okay, and Jade's penpal can't swim, but he's kind of a weird guy in general."

Karkat sat up. "What's the deal between you and English?"

"What?" Dave said. "There's nothing between me and that guy. What are you talking about?" Dave still sounded 'chill,' as he would put it, but Karkat had come to recognize the way he adjusted his sunglasses as a sign that something was up.

"Don't treat me like one of your mermaid grubs, Strider," Karkat said. "You haven't stopped complaining about him since he got here. Are you jealous of him?"

"What? No."

Karkat was not impressed. "I happen to be an expert on human romance, Dave. I can see where this is going. You like Jade, right?"

Dave frowned in a way that entirely confirmed Karkat's theories, as far as he was concerned. And then he immediately changed the topic. "If you're such a romance expert, what's with your relationship with Terezi?"

Karkat looked away from him. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I don't think you have to be an 'expert on human romance' to see that things haven't been going so well between the two of you lately," Dave said.

Karkat lowered his voice. "You think I should break up with her?"

Dave held up his hands. "I'm not telling you what to do, dude. I'm just saying, I don't think it's supposed to be so hard to hang out with someone."

Karkat didn't say anything.

\---------------

He was waiting on the dock when Terezi greeted him by splashing him with her tail. Karkat held up his arms, blocking most of the water from getting on his face. "Terezi," he said in a warning tone.

"I'm just messing with you." Terezi flashed him one of her signature grins, but then she frowned when she met his eyes. "What's up?"

"I don't know how to tell you this," Karkat began.

"You're breaking up with me?" Terezi asked him.

Karkat started. "How..."

"It's been kind of obvious for a while, dummy," Terezi said.

Karkat lowered himself down to the dock. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Terezi shrugged. "I just wanted you to tell me yourself."

"Oh," Karkat said. He considered her reaction for a moment. "You're not upset?"

"I just want you to be happy," Terezi said.

"Me too," Karkat said. "... I want you to be happy, I mean."

Terezi gave him a gentle smile, and for a second he remembered why he had liked her so much. "I know that, you dork. Just one question."

"What's that?" Karkat asked.

"Is it because of Dave?"

Karkat stared at her for several seconds, warmth creeping across his face. "What? That's not... I mean... Dave is my friend." He paused. "Besides that, I think he sort of has a thing for Jade. Who is also my friend. I don't want to get between - why would you even think that?"

"First of all," Terezi said, "you're always hanging out with him."

"That's normal, isn't it?"

Terezi ignored him. "Second of all, you talk about him _all the time._ "

"No, I don't," Karkat said. "Do I?"

"Third," Terezi said loudly, "I've seen the way you look at him."

"I don't-"

"Come on, Karkat," Terezi said. "At least admit it to yourself. I'm not judging you - he's pretty cute when he's a mermaid."

Karkat's blush deepened. "Why are we even discussing this? In case you forgot, I just broke up with you."

"Somebody had to tell you," Terezi said. "Since you're too much of a dork to figure it out on your own. You'll thank me later. But if he likes someone else, you have to move before it's too late." Karkat was silent. "That means go talk to him, dummy!"

She splashed him with her hands, and Karkat got up. "Alright, alright. I'll think about it, okay? And Terezi?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Are we still friends after this?" he asked. "I mean - I don't want to pressure you or anything. But I just want to know where we stand - even if you need some time, or..."

Terezi flashed him one of her grins. "Always."

It was only after Karkat was out of sight that Terezi let herself cry.


End file.
